A woman’s hormone levels fluctuate at different times throughout her life, including during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Understanding how hormonal changes affect dental health is key to maintaining oral hygiene along with scheduling regular visits with the dentist. Learn what oral health changes you may experience during assorted hormonal fluctuations and what you can do to take the best care of your teeth and gums.

How Do Women’s Hormones Affect Dental Health?

Puberty

Hormonal surges first occur when a girl enters puberty, causing an increased flow of estrogen and progesterone. These hormones bring more blood to the gums, which react similarly to when excessive dental plaque is present. The gums can subsequently become red, tender, inflamed, and prone to bleeding.

Menstruation & Birth Control

Monthly periods cause estrogen and progesterone increases, resulting in “menstruation gingivitis” without proper oral hygiene. Bleeding gums, canker sores, and swollen salivary glands are among the most common symptoms of this gingivitis type, which typically go away one to two days before your period starts.

Inflamed gum tissue from plaque toxins can also occur when you go on progesterone-based birth control. You can also develop dry sockets following tooth removal as a result of oral contraceptive use.

Pregnancy & Menopause

Hormone levels change rapidly when you become pregnant, potentially causing “pregnancy gingivitis.” Like its menstruation counterpart, pregnancy gingivitis increases progesterone levels to produce red, swollen, sore, and bleeding gums.

The drop in estrogen that naturally occurs during menopause affects the mouth in several ways, including burning sensations, different senses of taste, and dry mouth. Bone density losses can also occur from decreased estrogen levels, resulting in jawbone loss and the potential for receding gums and loose teeth.

What Can You Do?

Hormonal Changes

Combat hormone-related dental health changes with diligent oral hygiene, including gently brushing your teeth with a soft-bristled brush twice a day for two minutes each and flossing once daily. Maintain a mouth-healthy diet that is low in sugar and simple carbs and high in tooth-friendly foods such as celery, apples, carrots, and other fruits and vegetables that naturally clean teeth. See your dentist every six months for teeth cleanings and checkups, as preventive dentistry keeps gum disease, tooth decay, and other dental health issues from worsening. If you are pregnant, get a dental cleaning during your second trimester and create a schedule with your dentist that contains gingivitis symptoms.

Menopause

For menopause symptoms, talk to your dentist as well as your physician about treatments for dry mouth, bone loss, and other symptoms. You may need to drink more water, take calcium supplements, and make other healthy lifestyle changes. Since menopause is a regular occurrence, develop a monthly regimen that combats these issues when they arise. 

Get more oral hygiene tips from the experienced dentists at iCare Dentistry to keep hormonal changes from drastically affecting your dental health. The Norcross, GA-based family dentistry center provides patients throughout Gwinnett County with a full suite of dental services, including orthodontic services. Call (770) 609-6106 today to make an appointment or visit the website for a complete treatment list.